Method of preserving fruits, flowers and vegetables



METHOD OF PRESERVING FRUITS, FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES Albert A. Robbins, West Covina, Calif., assignor of onetenth to Philip Subkow, Los Angeles, Cahf.

No Drawing. Original application November 10, 1950, Serial No. 195,149, now Patent No. 2,790,717, dated April 30, 1957. Divided and this application April 26, 1957, Serial No. 655,178

16 Claims. (Cl. 99-154) This application is a division of my application Serial No. 195,149, filed November 10, 1950, entitled Method of Preserving Potatoes, now Patent No. 2,790,717, and relates to the preservation of the quality of fresh fruits, flowers, and vegetables, all inclusively hereinafter referred to as agricultural products, by the treatment thereof with solutions of cinnamate ion, both in its acid and salt forms, dissolved in water.

I have found that the storage life of such treated agricultural products is increased materially by my treatment. The process consists in wetting the agricultural product with a water solution of the cinnamic acid or cinnamic acid salt. The cinnamate ion appears to have a preservative action on the agricultural product, in that the properties of the freshly picked agricultural product are preserved for a longer period if so treated than those of untreated agricultural products.

I may employ either the cinnamic acids or salts of cinnamic acid, employing preferably the salts whose metal ions are physiologically harmless, such as the sodium salt which is more soluble than the acid form. This acid has a low solubility in water, yet I have found that a solution of commercial transcinnamic acid in water at atmospheric temperature is highly efficient for my purpose. I may also employ water solutions of the cis form of the cinnamate ion in the form of acid or salts.

The process is applicable to fruits and vegetables, for example, apples, pears, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, apricots, avocados, legumes, such as string beans, Lima beans, 1

kidney beans, berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, loganberries, youngberries, etc., as well as to cucumbers, cherries, cranberries, dates, eggplant, figs, guavas, melons, such as muskmelons, cantaloupes, Persian melons, honeydew, etc., nectarines, plums, prunes, peaches, pumpkins, peppers, both green and red, pomegranates, persimmons, bananas, and radishes.

In the case of the legumes, such as peas, Lima beans and kidney beans, with pods, I may shell them and wet the beans or peas, or I may cut the stem from the pod and treat the pod, particularly the cut end thereof.

In the case of vegetables having a corky stem or one having greater permeability to fluid, I may leave a greater amount of stem; for example, the banana, where the stem is pithy or corky and a good conductor for fluid, I may permit a greater amount of stem to remain. However, in this case, also, it is desirable to cut the vegetable from the stem atthe butt, that is close to the leafy part. Thus, in the case of lettuce, corn, artichokes, cauliflower, celery, chard, kale, kohlrabi, pineapple, squash, etc., the vegetable is cut close to the butt thereof to remove the stem or root.

In the case of asparagus and broccoli, where the stem is the edible portion of the vegetable, the stem may be treated by cutting it as is usual in present commercial operations and then treat the vegetable and particularly the cut portion of the stem.

In the case of the root type vegetables, such as potatoes and yams, I treat the potato and yam as a unit, and

in the case of carrots, turnips, radishes and beets, I may also remove the greens so as to leave the naked root or treat the root and leaves.

In the case of the leafy vegetables, such as mint, mustard greens, parsley, spinach, and watercress, I coat the entire leaf, including the cut stem, as will be described below. Where, as in the case of grapes, the fruit is sold in bunches, I treat them in such bunches.

As indicated, instead of using cinnamic acid I may employ a solution of a salt-of cinnamic acid using a concentration as low as one part per million up to five parts of cinnamate ion per 100 parts of water or higher concentration. I prefer to employ the physiologically harmless salts of these acids which havea solubility as high or higher than the acid, since if they be lower I may use the acid itself. I may use the cinnamate salt of Na, K, NH, or of the alkaline earth metal, such as Ca or Mg and heavy metal Cu, Ag, or other;oligo'dynamic metal ions.

For commercial operations I propose to introduce the cinnamic acid into the wash water. The wash water may be passed through a bed of the cinnamic acid contained in any suitable container or I may introduce the cinnamic acid into the container in which the potatoes are washed in any suitable manner. The transcinnamic acid has a solubility of about .1 part per 100 parts of distilledwater at 25 C. and .04 part at 18 C. The solubility in ordinary water will depend somewhat on the pH of the water; in soft waters alkaline with tration of the cinnamate ions may be obtained due to the higher solubility of the developed cinnamate salt. In

acid waters a lower solubility results. I prefer to e ploy neutral or alkaline waters.

I may employ waters having a relatively low tempera ture, down as low as 0 C., and the saturated solution of the cinnamic acid at such temperature appears sufiicient to produce the above results. I may also employ waters as high as boiling water for this purpose and obtain'a higher concentration of cinnamic acid. The time of contact of the solution of the acid with the fruit or vegetable for treatment may be adjusted, using a longer time for the lower concentrations. I have found that no alteration in the washing techniques commercially employed is required irrespective of the temperature of the water.

I have washed new white potatoes as they come from the field with solutions of commercial transc inna micacid having concentrations as low as one part per million of water and up to saturated solutions at atmospheric temperature and have compared their storage and preservative qualities with potatoes washed with water alone. The new potatoes treated with the cinnamic acid solution have a brighter skin compared with the darker skin of new potatoes washed with water alone. I have kept the potatoes washed with the cinnamic acid solution for a period of three weeks at ordinary summer temperature and the potatoes have remained fresh, firm, and without blemish. I have not yet determined the full length of the storage period. Sprouting takes longer than with untreated potatoes. Such potatoes as are injured in handling and washing appear to heal, in that the s cars callous over without developing rot or decaying spots. This is also true of injured potatoes which have started to rot at the wound. Potatoes washed with water under parallel conditions go bad in a very few days of storage.

The cinnamate ion treatment also reduces the loss of weight of potatoes and yams which always results from storage of potatoes. This loss of weight apparently results from dehydration of the potatoes. It has been observed that if this loss of weight becomes large, discoloration and even rotting of the potatoes occurs. While I do not know whether these phenomena are related as to cause and effect or result from the same or different but Na, a higher 'concenxampl 1 New whitepotatoeswereireshly picked-from the same field-and were separated-into two lots; one batch washed with water-and another-batch washed witha saturated solution of cinnamic-acid. The temperature was ordinary atmospheric. The potatoes were weighed before treat ment and periodically thereafter. The following table reports the percent loss ofweight based onthe original weight of the potato:

Percent loss oforiginal weight after- Edays 9 days "13 days 17 days Percent Percent Percent Percent Water washed 4. 4 8.4 12. 2

(Soft, d ark and spoiled after 9 days) Cinnamie acid solution 1.25 2.5 3. 75 6 sht s s oi d tit r day m easier Yams-:(sweetpotatoes) were similarly treatedjand the treated tuber rernainedfresh and unbelievably undehydrated after several months storage,- while the untreated yams became dehydrated, rotted, and spoiled after a few days.

Example 3 Strawberries freshly picked were treated by. washing; them with a cinnamic acid solution and shipped and. stored. They remained fresh and unspoiledfora; period of five days before being eaten. The flavor was excellent. and the berries fresh, whereas a chech shipment ofstraw berries went bad after three days. Example 4 Onions were washed with the cinnamic acid solution; 50 and remained fresh, with no darkening'or spoilage after two months storage at ordinary room temperature, while a check of untreated onions were bad and darkened in two weeks.

I have found it advantageous to contain thecryst als of transcinnamic acid in a porous fabric bag and enclose; the bag in a container formed ofa copper mesh and insert the bag into a closed iron or steel chamber through which I may circulate water, which thus passes into the chamber through the copper mesh and the fabric bag, dissolving the crystals I am also of the opinion that some copper cinnamate and ironcinnamate are formed by corrosion and that these salts, and particularly the copper ion, are also helpful. The solution then made may be;passed,

with or without further dilution into and througlqrvatsl in which the agricultural products may be placed or dipped.

While I may thus add oligodynamic ions to the cinnamate solutions, I find that the activity of the cinnamate ion is sufiicient and the examples given above were made by dissolving the cinnarnic acid as such in water.

While I havedescribed a particular embodiment of my invention for the purpose'of illustration, it should be understood, that various modifications thereof may be made wit-11in the spirit of the invention assetforth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1-. A-process-for treating agricultural products chosen from the group consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, comprising wetting said agricultural product with a water solution of cinnamate ions.

2. A process for treating agricultural products chosen from the. group consistingof freshfruits and vegetables, comprising wetting said agricultural product with. a water: solution of trans cinnamate ions.

3, A process for treating agricultural products chosen from -t e-g roup consistingof fresh fruits and vegetables,- which comprises, wetting saidagricultural product with a water solution of cinnamic acid.

4. A process for treating agricultural products chosen from the'group consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whichcomprises. wetting said agricultural product with a water. solution of trans-cinnamic 7 acid.

5. Av process for treatingyams, comprising wetting the yan' s w ith a, water solution of. cinnamate ions.

6 A processfortreating. yams, comprisingwetting theyams with a water solution of trans-cinnamate ions..-

7. A processfor treating yams, which comprises wetting the yams with a water solution of'cinnamic acid- 8. Aprocess'for treating yams, which compriseswetting-the yamswithia watersolution of trans-cinnamic= acid,

9. A: process ,for, treatingonions, comprising wetting the onions with .a, water. solutionof cinnamate ions.

10. A process-fortreating onions, comprising wetting theonionswitha water solution of trans-cinnamate ions.

ll.,A process, for treating onions, which-comprises wetting the onions .with a water solution of cinnamic acid:

l2.vA,pro,cess.for. treating onions, which comprises wettingthe. onions with a-water solution of trans-cinnamic acid.

13;. A' process for treating strawberries, comprising wetting? the strawberries. with a water solution of cinnangatctions.

14. Av process. for. treating strawberries, comprisingwettingthe strawberries withawater solution of transcinnamateions.

15. A processfor treating strawberries, which com prises-wetting the-strawberrieswith awater solution of cinnamic acid.

16. A process fortreating. strawberries, which comprises wetting thestrawberrieswith a water solution of trans-cinnamic acid; 

1. A PROCESS FOR TREATING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS CHOSEN FROM THE GROUP CONSITING OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, COMPRISING WETTING SAID AGRICULTRUAL PRODUCT WITH A WATER SOLUTION OF FINNAMATE IONS. 